Wendy Lowell hadn’t come alone. She was with Zephyr Mercer.

At that moment, Paige Summers and Marcus Monroe had just finished their meal. The awkwardness between them had dissipated, and their rapport had grown more congenial.

Marcus Monroe knew Paige’s personality. When it came to romance, she was clearly still clueless. If he were to confess his feelings rashly, he figured the only outcome would be a swift and total rejection.

Now was not the right time.

So, from the very beginning, his plan was to let her slowly and unconsciously grow accustomed to his presence. He explained away the hug from when he first arrived as simply a result of not having seen her for a long time and missing her. As for his reason for coming to Central City, he insisted it wasn’t specifically to see her. He claimed that with things settled in The Dead City, he had come to Central City to see if he could recruit any useful talent and to look for new opportunities.

Paige Summers didn’t completely believe his explanation. But then she had a thought. ’Anyway, having Marcus around isn’t a bad thing for me. In fact, it might even be beneficial. Why should I overthink it?’ With that, she accepted his presence quite happily.

She asked about how everyone else was doing and told him about running into Shawn Monroe, Nora Lowell, Woody Warren, and the others here.

Marcus Monroe wasn’t surprised.

’Shawn Monroe went to great lengths to escape,’ he thought. ’It would be stranger if he *didn’t* want to stage a comeback.’

He’s bound to be looking for people who can help him.

The Three Great Bases are his best option. The factions here are a tangled mess, and plenty of people are tempted by the prospect of The Dead City. He had known this for a long time.

He just hadn’t expected to hear news of him so soon.

Seeing him lost in thought, Paige couldn’t help but ask, "What are your plans?"

"For now, I’ll wait and see."

"Oh?" Paige was surprised. She thought his personality would demand that he eradicate the problem completely.

"It won’t be easy for him to use others to get back to The Dead City."

"The journey is long and dangerous. Even if he managed to lead a force back, Sylas Underwood and the others would surely get word long beforehand and prepare their defenses. The Dead City is in a remote location, naturally easy to defend and difficult to attack. Besides, the city is filled with people The Three Great Bases wouldn’t tolerate—mostly desperados. Taking The Dead City isn’t just difficult; it’s practically impossible."

"Besides, what does Shawn Monroe himself have to offer to convince anyone to help him?"

Marcus Monroe wasn’t worried at all.

’In the end,’ he thought, ’even if Shawn Monroe does manage to find willing partners, their attack might be a good form of training for Sylas and the others.’

This apocalypse requires constant self-improvement.

Wanting an easy life is a prelude to death!

Paige nodded thoughtfully, feeling he had a point.

"But..." she said, "it’s easy for you to say. It’s a different story for me. I might end up in a nasty fight with them."

Marcus nodded. "Don’t worry, I’m on your side, of course. Just say the word if you need anything."

Paige glanced at him, a little surprised.

’Something feels different about him this time,’ she thought. ’Marcus was never this... attentive before.’

Just as she was pondering this, a knock came at the door.

Paige pushed the thought aside and went to open the door. When she saw Wendy Lowell and Zephyr Mercer standing there together, she felt an instant headache coming on.

She wasn’t happy to see them, but Zephyr Mercer’s expression was even fouler than hers.

He’d always had a high opinion of himself, so being thoroughly outsmarted by some girl had been a major blow to his pride, one that had followed him all the way home. Now, everyone close to him in the Mercer Family knew he had been knocked out for half the night. It was the height of humiliation! As a result, he now refused to look at anyone directly, only glaring at them from the corner of his eye.

Wendy Lowell was naturally mortified. She had wanted to come alone to explain things to Paige, but then she got a call from Zephyr Mercer. Unable to refuse, she had no choice but to accompany him to deliver the items.

Zephyr Mercer stood outside and unceremoniously shoved a large box into Paige’s arms. "The materials from the list!" he said, his tone a mixture of pride and awkwardness.

Paige blinked, reflexively taking the box. She had to suppress a laugh.

He reminded her of some melodramatic teenager going through a phase. As annoying as he was, she couldn’t bring herself to truly dislike him.

Besides, since he was still willing to do business, she had no reason to turn him away.

"Is this everything?"

Zephyr Mercer frowned. "No, a few are substitutes." His uncle had studied the list for a whole day and night before preparing these things for him this morning, but a few items were still impossible to find. ’This just confirms that Paige wasn’t bluffing,’ he thought. ’She must really be able to make a transforming weapon.’

Paige nodded. "Alright. I’ll test them out. If any of them won’t work, I’ll let you know."

Zephyr Mercer lifted his chin. "Fine. Just make the weapon as fast as you can!"

"Of course."

With the conversation at a dead end and Paige showing no sign of inviting him in, Zephyr couldn’t find anything else to say. The thought that ’that man’ might be inside flared up in his mind, and his expression soured even further. He snorted, then said to Wendy Locke, "Aunt Cynthia, I’m leaving."

With that, he turned and stormed off.

Wendy Locke hesitated, unsure if she should stay.

Seeing her hesitation, Paige said directly, "Ms. Locke, you should head back for now. I’ve just received these materials, so I’m going to be very busy. I’m afraid I won’t have time to talk." She wasn’t being overly cold toward Wendy Locke. After all, the woman’s love for her daughter was genuine, even if it now seemed it wasn’t her top priority. And it was because of that love that Paige had been able to advance her own abilities, so she owed her a debt of gratitude.

Seeing her resolve, Wendy Locke had no choice but to leave.

Back in her room, Paige let out a long sigh. ’This is so annoying! I’d rather be outside the city killing Mutant Beasts or just holed up at home making weapons!’

’I’m really not cut out for all this social interaction, especially when it’s this messy!’ 𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

A hint of a smile touched Marcus Monroe’s eyes.

He said, "Don’t you have a weapon to build? Go on. I’ll be your guard in the meantime."

"Huh? You’d do that?"

"Of course."

Paige mentally did a fist pump. ’Oh yeah!’

Marcus saw her delight and couldn’t help but smile.

Paige suddenly raised an eyebrow at him. ’This guy really has changed. He’s more talkative and more cheerful. Even though he still has that naturally stern face, at least it’s more expressive now. I can actually read him. He seems... more approachable now.’

What she didn’t know was that Marcus was only this relaxed in front of her.

Before he met up with her, his subordinates who had traveled with him to Central City were often so intimidated by his silent presence they didn’t dare speak. After they entered the city and he assigned their tasks, he dismissed them with a single word, and they scattered faster than rabbits.

And so, they came to an agreement: one would build the weapon, while the other would fend off any and all disturbances.

The days flew by. 「Five days later.」

At the gates of Central City, Claire Chapman and her Hunting Party finally returned.